Washing machine



Dec. 1,:1936. Y F, E. KRAuss n l 2,062,668;

v WASHING MACHINE Filed Marchal, 19:53 esmas-sheet 1 Jn vena( Dec. l, 1936. F` E KRAUSS 2,062,668

WASHING MACHINE Filed March 11, 19:53 2 sheets-snee; 2

Jn pento:- 3:4. l a n( W.

Patented l, 1693.6

`PATENT OFFICE WASHING MACHINE Friedrich Emil Krauss,

Schwarzenberg, Saxony Germany Application March 11,

For loosening effectively the dirt adhering to used linen and for cleaning this latter washing machines with a rotating drum are the most efcient'ones. The drums are rotated alternately in both directions which necessitates a large consumption of power, in that the lled washing drum is first rotated and therotation is'accelerated in the respective direction, is then suddenly The present invention relates to a washing ma.- Y

chine which has an upright or vertical washing drum and is so designed that it can be driven by a comparatively weak motor in connection with a comparatively weak gearing, in that both, the motor and the gearing, are subjected to a comparatively slight strain. For this purpose the washing machine is so designed that the dirty.

linen contained in the drum and ascending therein when the drum is quickly .rotated is acted on in the direction counter to the direction of rotation at the time being so that it ceases to ascend and falls back into the drum. This eiect might be attained, for instance, by rotating the drum by means of a jet o'f wate!` the direction of which when the linen has ascended in the drum, owing to the speed thereof,is reversed whereby the speed of the drum is comparatively quickly reduced.v

When the linen has fallen back into the drum, $5 the speed of this latter increases rnder the ccntinued action of the jet of water whereupon the direction of said ,iet is 'again reversed, and so on, in continuous alternation.` It is, however, also possible to reduce the speed of the drum so much that it comes to a standstill and is then rotated in the other direction, but to attain the purpose in view it is sufficient merely to reduce the speed of the drum so much that the ascended linen falls back into the drum. While the normal speed of the i5 drum during the washing amounts to about from 300 to 400 revolutions per minute, it is diminished to about.50 in order to cause the linen-to'fall back into the drum, as intended.

The invention permits a large number of con- 'vlillstructional forms, some thereof are illustrated tically and by Way of example 0n the accompanying drawings on which Figure 1 is chieilyavertical section through a washing machine -designed according to this invention, the I5 partsbelnwthecasingbeing'showuinsideview.

1933, Serial No. 660,407

Germany March 22, 1932 Fig. 1a shows on larger scale the driving gear shown in Fig. 1.v Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through said casing and the drum inthe plane 2 2 of Fig. 1. Figure 3 is a view similar to the upper part of Fig. 1 and shows a modiiication. Figure 4 is another view similar to the upper part of Fig. 1 and shows alsoa modication. Figures `5 and 6'show two more modifications. Figures 7 and 8 are horizontal sections in the plane 'lof Fig. 6, the member s being shown in two positions.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, Aa denotes the stationary casing of the washing machine and b is the rotary drum receiving cr containing the dirty linen to be washed. At the lower end of the drum. is a circumferential set of blades b', and opposite this set of blades, at the inner wall of the casing a, is a nozzle c by means of which a jet of water can be directed against the blades so as thereby to act upon the drum. The nozzle c is connected up to a change-over cock d attached to the outer surface of the casing a and connected-by a pipe e with a pump f driven by the motor d. 'But it is as well possible to provide two nozzles, the one for the one direction and the other for the other direction, and this is, in fact, the case in the constructional form in question, in that, besides the nozzle c, Figs. 1 and 2, a second nozzle c', Fig. 2, is provided, the two nozzles being so arranged as to form an angle with one another. 'Ihe plug d (Fig. 1a) of the change-over cock can beso turned that the water coming from the pump f will be ejected either through the nozzle c or through the nozzle c'. Turning the plug is eiected over the shaft d by means of a reduction vgear i driven by the motor g. These periods of time are so deter-f. mined that the drum with the linen in it and driven by the jet of water acting on the blades b assumes a high speed so that the linen-ascends at the inner surface of thedrum by reason of the actionof the centrifugal force, but when this state has been attained, the plug of the cock is turned so as to disconnect the acting nozzle from the cock and to connect the other nozzle with the supply of the water, this being done, however, only for acertain short period of time sumcient Y to reduce the speed ofthe drum so much that the linen falls back into the drum.l Generally, the speed will not be reduced to standstill of the drum, but when the linen has fallen back into the drum,theplugisagainreversedsoasnowtoV speed up the drum, and so on in continual succession. It is. however, indeed possible to bring the dnun tostandstlll and rotate it then in the braking the drum so as to reduce its number of revolutions in the required measure, a braking ring l is provided at the inner surface of the casing a, and swinging brake blocks Icare suspended at 1c at the drum. When the drumrotates and has attained a certain speed, the swinging brake blocks contact with the ring l and brake the drum` strongly enough to reduce its speed so much that the linen falls back into the drum. At a certain reduction of the speed the brake blocks lc will leave the ring l, their braking action will, thus, cease and the speed of the drum `will again rise. y

As the washing water or washing lye is more easily movable than the linen: it is possible to operate in this way that a part of the water or lye is thrown out of the drum at a certain high speed of the same, and returns thereinto, when the speedhas been reduced. A constructional form designed for this manner of operation is shown in Fig. 4, in which the upper part of the drum b is provided with perforations a', as well as with an additional wall a forming an annular chamber together with the oppositely located portion of the drum b. A part of the washing lye enters into said annular chamber through the perforations a when the drum has attained a certain speed and will be retained in the said chamber by the linen when this has ascended so much as to cover the perforations, but when the speed of the drum has been so much reduced, for example, by a. reversing jet device as in Figs. 1 and 2 or by means of a brake device as in Fig. 3 that the linen falls back into the drum, the perforations are thereby uncovered and the lye will ow or rush back into the drum and to the linen.

In the constructional form illustrated in Fig. 5 a float is used as means for decreasing the speed of the drum. The drum may be rotated by means of a nozzle, as in Figs. 1 and 2. m" denotes the float which is vertically guided along a rod m' extending downwardly from a bracket m aiixed to the top of the casing a. At the upper end of the oat is an outwardly directed catch n. which can co-operate with an arm n' of a practically horizontal double-armed lever o pivoted at o' also to a bracket and being firmly connected with a downwardly directed arm q provided with a braking block q'. This block can act on the drum b and acts braking when the washing lye lifts the oat m" when the catch n will contact with the arm n and turn the arm q. 'I'he outer end of this lever co-operates with an undulated spring r that is aillxed to the casing and is so bent as to be able to retain the lever o in the position into which it has been turned by the catch of the float. When the catch has been moved upwardly, the speed of the drum will be reduced owing to the braking actionof the block q', and when the lifting action of the lye has then ceased, the now sinking float will act on the arm n' and turn the lever o back into its normal position so that the braking action of the block q' ceases. The linen contained in the drum is prevented from ascending so much as to contact with the float by a sieve v.

`comparatively sudden braking of the rotating drum can be eifected also by means of a curved plate s (Figs. 6-8) movableon apivot s extending downwardly from the cover c" of the casing a. A helical tensile spring s tends continually to draw the plate inwardly into the position shown in Fig. 7. At the free end of the plate. is a braking block t which contacts with the inner surface of the drum and acts braking when the plate is in the position shown in Fig. 8. There is also in this constructional form a sieve 'v which prevents the linen from ascending so -much as to come in contact with the plate s, but the washing lye which is dragged along with the drum can act on this plate when it has risen high enough under the centrifugal action. In this case the lye rotating with the drum turns the plate s and presses the braking block t against the drum so as to reduce the speed thereof. The practically hoppershaped level of the lye will now sink, its action upon the plate s will cease, and this will reassume its former, i. e. normal position.

It makes no difference to the action of the drum if its speed of rotation is increased when driving it in an alternatingor in the same direction as vit is only'essential that the linen and lye rise on the wall ofthe drum as the speed increases and falls back to the bottom of the drum when the `speed of rotation is suddenly decreased.

upper end and adapted to accommodate the dirty linen and washing lye, means for rapidly rotating the drum through severalrevolutions to impel the linen and lye to ascend the imperforate wall of said drum, means for thereafter suddenly braking the rotation of said drum to cause the linen and lye to descend to the bottom of said drum under the action of gravity, and means for eifecting said first and second mentioned means alternately and repeatedly during a washing period.

2. A washing machine; comprising in combination a. vertical drum with an imperforate wall rotatable about its vertical axis and open at its upper end and adapted to accommodate the dirty linen and washing lye, an annular casing surrounding the upper end of said drum connected to the latter, the wall of said drum being perforated at the portion surrounded by said annular casing, means for rapidly rotating said drum like a centrifugal drum to impel the linen and lye to ascend the imperforate wallof said drum, and means for braking the rotation of said drumto cause the linen and 4lye to descend to the bottom of said drum under the action of gravity, said means rapidly rotating and those for suddenly braking the drum adapted to operate alternately and repeatedly during a washing period. i

3. A washing machine, comprising in combination an outer vertical stationary drum open at its upper end and having two apertures one in its side wall and the other in its bottom, an.inner -vertical imperforate drum open at its upper end and rotatable in said outer drum and adapted to accommodate the dirty linen and washing lye,

' blades projecting radially from the lower end of a'oeaege oi the wall of said outer drum at the end oi said pipe system, said nozzle adapted to project against 1 said bladessthe liquid fed by said pump to rotate said inner drum at a high speed during several revolutions to`cause the linen and lyeto move outwards under the action of, centrifugal force and ascend the wall o f said inner drum, and means for periodically braking said inner drum to cause blades Lprojecting radially from the lower end of y the wall of said inner drum at the height of the hole in the side wall of said outer drum, a pipe system between the two holes in said outer drum,

' a pump connected up in said pipe system fed with` liquid from said outer vessel through .the hole-in the bottom of said outer vessel and adapted to force the liquid to the hole in the vwall of said outer vessel, two oppositely directed nozzles on the inner side 'oflthe wall of said outer drum at the end of said pipe system, said nozzles adapted to project against said blades the liquid fed by said pump to rotate `said inner drum at a high speedduring severalrevolutions to cause the linen and Alye to move outwards underthe action of 'centrifugal force-and ascend the wall of said inner drum, means lfor alternately connecting. said nozzles withV said pipe system. to periodically reverse the direction of rotation of said drum to cause the linen and lye to rst descend to the bottom of said inner drum under the action of gravity and then again ascend the wall thereof.

5. A washing machine, comprising in combination an outer vertical stationary drum open at its upper end and having two apertures one in its side wall and the other in its bottom, an inner vertical imperforate drum open at its upper end and rotatable in said outer drum and adapted to accommodate the dirty linen and washing lye,

blades projecting radially from the lower end of the wall ot said inner drum atthe height of the hole in the side wall of said outer drum, a pipe system' between thetwo holes in said outer drum,

a pump connected up in said pipe system fed with l liquid from said outer vessel through the hole in -the bottom of said outer vessel and adapted to iorce-thejli'quid to the hole inthe wail of said outer vessel, at least one nozzle on the inner side of thewal1 of said' outer drum at the end of said pipe system, said nozzle adapted to project against said blades the liquid 'fed by said pump to rotate said inner drum at a high speed to cause the linen and lye to move outwards under the action of lcentrifugal force and ascend the wall of, said. inner drum, means for periodically vbraking said inner drum to cause the linen and lye to descend to the bottom of said inner drum under the action of gravity',a perforated portion at thel upper. end

surrounding this perforated portion'ontheouter side of said drum and connected to the latter and adapted to -re'ceive through the perforations the lye from said inner drum when this drum is rotated at ahi'gh speed and allow the lye to run back into @the interior of said inner drum when the speed of rotation is' reduced. 1

' FRIEDRICH EMIL K RAUSS.

' of said inner drum, an imperiorate annular casing 

